Family Is Forever
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: You have to read the wonderful epic, Your Aunt Elsa, by robert3A-SN to understand this companion piece. I was disappointed a sequel was never written for it, so I wrote this short coda. The ending is... hopeful, but it does get sad, so brace yourselves. Please, enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Annabelle

**Chapter 1: Annabelle**

The snow flurries were swirling harder. The temperature was dropping - rapidly. The doctors and midwives standing at attention were trying their best to hide the shivering taking over.

Only two people did not seem fazed by the seesawing climate in the Queen's private residence. Princess Anna of Arendelle, who had been the baby sister of the Snow Queen for close to four decades, was running around and slowly taking over the childbirth process. The other was the Queen's husband, King Consort Robert Hansen, who had once been a blacksmith and sea captain before meeting and falling in love with Queen Elsa.

Elsa was now writhing on the bed, moaning in agony, as she rode through another contraction. A particularly strong gale of wind moved through the royals' chambers. It didn't still even as Elsa grew quiet, flopping back into the pillows as the contractions passed, her breathing labored.

"Robert..." and her voice was unusually gentle for someone who was about to give birth. "I need you to get out of this room. Just for now. For your own safety."

Robert gawped at his wife. "Like hell I am! I'm not leaving you!"

"Robert," Elsa gritted her teeth. "Do this. For me." And her voice was so sweet, Robert found it nearly impossible to refuse her. Then her voice broke. "_Please_. I don't want to hurt you."

Robert looked to Anna. The siblings-in-law did not need words. Anna would take care of her, he knew. Crossing to the bed, Robert kissed his wife with all the love he could muster, followed by a few frantic pecks.

"You could _never_ hurt me," Robert told her, the words as fierce as his kiss. And he meant it. A stunned Elsa could only nod. Yet Robert obeyed his wife's wishes, and forced his feet to move out of their chambers.

He was barely out the door before he was being attacked by his niece. "What are you doing out here?"

"Calm down," Robert warned her.

"Is the baby here yet? Are you coming to get us?"

"Calm down..."

"Oh no - is Aunt Elsa all right?"

"JOANIE!" Robert grabbed her and gave her a little shake. Sometimes she ran her mouth faster than her mother. "Nothing's happened yet. Your aunt very nicely kicked me out of the room."

On a plush seat next to them, Prince Consort Kristoff snorted. "Ouch. Anna never did that to me."

"Well," Robert leapt to his wife's defense, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's getting pretty cold in there. She wanted me safe, tell you the truth."

"That's sweet," Christian, Joan's little brother, bounded up to his uncle. Robert just ruffled his hair.

The minutes passed agonizingly slowly. Pretty soon, even Kristoff succumbed to the on-edge anxiety the rest of his family felt and began pacing up and down the hallway. It only got worse when Anna stuck her head out the door and requested Robert's presence, and Robert's only, his banishment from the chambers apparently lifted. Silence reigned.

"It's taking so long, Joanie," Kristoff fretted, passing by where his daughter sat for the untold number of times.

Joan just chuckled. "Look at yourself, Daddy. You'd think this was _your_ first child. Tell me: were you this nervous when I was born?"

"Yes and no," Kristoff admitted, remembering. "It was different with your mother. But with Elsa, we gave up hope. We thought she would never have children..."

That's when Robert suddenly burst out of the room again. "Guys! It's a girl, it's a girl!"

Kristoff broke into a huge grin and ran after his brother-in-law. Joan and Christian hung back, basking in the moment.

"Can you believe it?" Christian gaped. "Aunt Elsa had a baby."

"I guess it really is a miracle," Joan chuckled, and she and her brother moved forward to greet the newest member of the royal family.


	2. Chapter 2: Stand It Any Longer

**Chapter 2: Stand it Any Longer**

"And now, gentleman, to turn our attention to the Spring Festival..." Elsa was saying.

Röbert bent over his pad, scribbling as he took copious notes. He had never had the education that his wife and his sister-in-law had been privileged with as royals, but he was erudite enough to provide a clear record of every minute in Cabinet meetings.

If only his Queen wasn't so particularly... bewitching today.

Elsa could rarely sit still when she spoke, strolling around the conference table as she mused on one topic and then another. She maintained a very regal facade, yet her voice was passionate, her hands expressive as she laid out her plans for the Festival.

Elsa paused at one point between two chairs, giving Robert a full view of her dress - and the curves underneath. Heaven help him!

After Annabelle was born, Elsa had been deeply upset when her figure had not bounced back to what it had once been. Robert had tried to console her, saying she was gorgeous no matter how she looked; she didn't seem to believe him.

Robert took a deep breath and tried to focus on his notes again. But not before his wife caught him staring. She shared a shy smile, and blushed, nearly trailing off in the middle of a sentence before getting a hold of herself and finishing her thought.

"Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I must see to my daughter. I believe it is time for her nap." She crossed for the door, pausing to kiss her husband on the cheek before departing.

"Excellent. While we are in a repose, let us discuss a matter with you, Your Majesty," the Secretary of State suggested.

"Hmm?" Robert hummed absent-mindedly, still staring at the door through which Elsa had left.

"The royal family from the Southern Isles has requested a summit with us in their country," the Secretary of the Treasury elaborated. "We thought, Your Majesty, that we would send you on your first diplomatic test."

Robert was surprised. "I'm honored, gentlemen, but... the Southern Isles..." He had heard the stories from Elsa. Held her after a few nightmares.

"Oh, Your Majesty, it is perfectly safe. We have very few dealings with them outside of essentials, and the traitor, Prince Hans, will rot in prison. His brothers - the ones in power, anyway - are much more above board. You will have an honor guard accompany you. We know you will work in the best interests of Arendelle and live up to our expectations. You only need the opportunity," the Secretary of State espoused.

Robert leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Maybe... maybe so... can I discuss it with the Queen?"

"Of course, sire. I think that's wise," the Secretary of the Treasury dipped his head in deference.

Robert then dismissed the Cabinet.

* * *

The King Consort found his wife in her study, pouring over documents. Underneath her icy dress, he could see cleavage, and he wondered if she had worn the ensemble just for him. His heart did a crazy tap dance.

Elsa looked up, hearing him enter. Then she noticed the hooded look in his eyes. "Robert...?"

"I can't stand it any longer," Robert growled, his irises dark with lust and love. "Do you realize what you do to me in those meetings? You're so... beautiful!"

Elsa blushed, though her eyes were sad as she looked down at herself, shaking her head. "No, I'm not..." He knew she was self-conscious about things like stretch marks.

Robert crossed to her and took her in his arms. "You _are_," he insisted, his voice filled with fire.

Elsa dared to smile. All right, she'd play along. Flirt back. "It's only because I'm so in love."

Robert laughed. "No. No, it's because I'm so in love with _you_."

Elsa blinked, gasped dramatically. "Then, love has blinded you?"

"Hopelessly," Robert hissed.

Elsa beamed. "Then, it's probably true."

Robert attacked her neck with kisses, Elsa leaning in with wide eyes, draping her arms across his shoulders.

"Ann... Annabelle..." she gasped.

"Won't wake for another few hours," Robert answered. "Freeze the door?"

With a wave of her hand, Elsa froze the door handle, sealing them in and keeping unwanted intruders out. The royal couple fell back onto a couch by the fireplace, kissing furiously.

"I can't believe you want me," Elsa moaned as her husband undressed her.

"I'll always want you, my love."

"Then, prove it," Elsa begged. "Make love to me. Please."

"My Queen commands, so I obey. As you wish." And Robert swiftly entered her. Elsa's breath hitched and she clamped her legs around him, egging him on. "Yes... God, yes! I love you, Robert!"

"I love you!" Robert groaned. "I always have!"

"So strong..." Elsa swooned with admiration. At last, with a tiny whimper, she came, her husband spilling into her moments later. Flushing, the couple cuddled together naked and blissful.

* * *

Robert waited until the post-coital high wore off to tell Elsa of the Cabinet's request. Naturally, the destination of the Southern Isles left Elsa deeply worried, but no one wanted to see her King succeed more than her. When the promise of an Honor Guard was mentioned, she gave her permission. Robert's boat was to leave that very night, and the Cabinet was pleased he would be on it.

The night was still as the King and Queen said their goodbyes.

"These are good people, Elsa. I'll be safe."

A sad and somewhat still worried Elsa could only cry plaintively, "Robby!" - her pet name for her lover - as she flung herself into his arms and kissed him.

Robert kissed her goodbye in return with the promise, "I won't be long." Then he boarded the ship, keeping his beloved Elsa in his sights until the last.

* * *

"Arendelle ahoy!"

"Drop the mainsail!"

"Land ho, you bilge-rats!"

"Halt! The King is on deck!"

The clamor and noise of the sailing ship abruptly faded away as the sailors stood at attention for their King. Robert emerged from below decks into the morning sun and nodded quickly. "At ease," he commanded. He would never get used to people showing such reverence to him, not with the humble roots he had well into adulthood.

The Southern Isles was a strange enough kingdom, even without addressing their murderous tendencies and past misdeeds. The negotiations had gone on for nearly a month, but Robert had obtained them. The passage home was even less pleasant as the one away had been, for sleeping in the hold had left Robert chilled and haunted by bad memories. Memories of a little girl - the girl who would become his niece - threatened. Himself tied up...

"Your Majesty," the captain reported. "Arendelle is in our sights. We will dock in the fjord, just off the Children's Pavilion."

Robert waved his hand in approval. "Well done, Captain."

"Sleep well?"

Robert shook his head. "I just want to see..."

"Her Majesty?" The captain grinned sympathetically. "Aye. That you will, sire. That you will."

The ship came into port at last, and Robert disembarked with his Honor Guard. Kai, Elsa's Chief of Staff, received him.

"Your hard work has ensured Arendelle's safety for decades, my liege," Kai praised. "The Cabinet is anxious for your report..."

But Robert was only half-listening. He kept scanning for one face in the crowd, but was denied it.

But then he noticed... the faintest hint of frost on a pillar just off the Children's Pavilion. In spring...

"Excuse me," he interrupted.

"Certainly," Kai said to his back.

And rounding the pillar, there he saw her, looking immaculate in her ice dress, her hair hung down just the way he liked it. Elsa ran into his arms, and spinning her around, Robert forgot about everything else.

"Thank goodness you're back," Elsa breathed. "I'm whole again." She smirked in amusement, curiously caressing a hand along her husband's face. "Whiskers? That's new."

Robert smiled. "The negotiations left me little time to shave. And anyway, I wanted to surprise you. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Elsa beamed. Standing on tiptoe, she whispered in his ear. "It's sexy."

Robert grinned. "I missed you, Elsa."

She shivered in the circle of his arms. "There were rumors... that you'd been killed. I've been living with unbearable dread." She clung to him, as if to assure herself that he was real.

Robert gave her another easy grin. "I'm all right." He clutched her hands in his. "I've given my life to the kingdom of Arendelle," he said slowly, meaning every word. "But I'd only give _up_ my life for you."

"I wouldn't like that," Elsa grinned. "I wouldn't like that at all." He reached for her, but she twisted away teasingly. "Patience, my handsome blacksmith. Come to me later."

But not even Elsa's ice powers could keep him away. Trapping her against a column, he held her close and kissed her, and when the shock of their meeting faded, Robert could see his wife was trembling. "Are you all right?"

Elsa's eyes brimmed with tears. "Something wonderful has happened." At his confused frown, she searched his eyes, squeezing his hand. "Robby... I'm pregnant again."

Robert's mouth fell open. His tongue got in the way until he finally got out, "Oh, my love... that's... that's wonderful."

Elsa settled against him. "What are we going to _do_?"

Only then did Robert remember. The warnings from the trolls. About how Elsa's age and powers made a second pregnancy too great a risk, to the point where it could threaten her life. Though Robert had always been skeptical of this assessment (he meant no disrespect to his brother-in-law Kristoff's family), he and Elsa had always been careful.

Until that time in her study.

Robert banished any foreboding thoughts from his mind and kissed Elsa gently. "We won't worry about that right now. This is a happy moment and we will treat it as such. Let's go tell your sister and the kids." And he led her back to the castle.


	3. Chapter 3: Forged After Torn Asunder

**Chapter 3: Forged After Torn Asunder**

Elsa's second pregnancy was a difficult one. As the months progressed, she grew weaker and weaker, and by the end of the final trimester, could not leave her chambers. Robert promised her that she was strong enough even when she despaired that she would not make it.

"I'm scared of not being with you," she once morbidly confessed to him.

"That'll never happen, love," Robert vowed.

The day of labor came upon the first snowfall of the year. And inside the castle, Elsa was creating a blizzard of her own, as she howled through the pains of labor once more. After a time, Kai had no choice but to kick the rest of the royal family out of the room, as the doctors and midwives converged on the Queen. But not before Robert told Elsa, "I love you."

Anna, Kristoff, Joan, Christian and Robert waited long into the night, in the very same living quarters where Hans had betrayed the Princess - a location that did not help anyone's nerves. At long last, a weary Kai entered, and when his face crumpled, everyone feared the worst. However, a moment later, Kai's business face was back, though he was clearly subdued. Whatever he had to say, it wasn't good.

No. It was horrid.

"Your Highnesses... Her Majesty, the Queen Mother... has passed away into the next life. The baby... was born sleeping."

Anna clapped a hand to her mouth to block something strangled that sounded like a wail from coming out. Christian turned and promptly threw up into the fireplace. Kristoff swayed on his feet. Robert looked numb as Kai approached him.

"My Queen's last command was to give you this letter, sire. Receive it so." He bowed once, before adding, "I am so, so sorry." Then he fled before he did something unprofessional like cry.

That is when the King Consort lost it. His face and his body seemed to collapse in on themselves as he wept. "Oh, my Elsa... my poor wife!"

"Oh, Robert! My poor, poor Robert!" Anna sobbed, and the two clung to each other. When the embrace was over, Robert started glancing around desperately, like an animal trapped in a cage.

"I gotta get out of here."

"You're not going anywhere - not in this weather! And not looking like that!" Anna scolded, but her best royal voice now sounded oddly hollow.

"I have to! Otherwise, I'll go mad! I see her everywhere - every room is going to remind me of her!"

Anna gaped at him, spluttering. At a loss, she turned to Kristoff. "Talk to him! Stop him!" The brothers-in-law locked eyes. Being the only two people who knew what it was like to marry a royal of Arendelle, and both growing up commoners before their marriages made them royalty, Robert and Krsitoff had built up a good rapport. Often, whenever Elsa had been unable to get through to her husband, the next best bet was probably Kristoff.

But this time, Kristoff didn't berate or plead or entice. He instead simply said, "Take Sven and my sleigh. Go up to the Trading Post; there's a barn next door. Empty and warm." Robert nodded his thanks, grateful. Kristoff, at least, understood.

In one last ditch attempt, Joan suddenly rushed forward and placed a dozing Annabelle into her uncle's arms. But the sight of his little girl seemed to have the opposite effect on the King Consort.

"What about Annabelle?" Anna asked gently, thinking she had him. But Robert simply hung his head.

"I think my daughter would be better off in the arms of a princess," and he passed his baby to his sister-in-law.

"Uncle Robert!" Robert turned back to see Joan looking heartbroken and crushed. Unable to meet her gaze, he turned away, mumbling something about seeing her soon.

Then he fled from the castle.

* * *

Kristoff was left with the thankless job of informing the Cabinet that the King Consort had departed to an undisclosed location, wracked with grief over the loss of his wife. Which was the truth. The lie came in when Kristoff, after being pressed, promised that the King Consort would return for the throne within "the next few days."

Those "next few days" passed quickly by. Then a full week, punctuated by Elsa's funeral. Then two. After three weeks with still no sign of Robert, the Cabinet was starting to get suspicious. The Royal Guard was getting antsy, begging Princess Anna to let them send out a search party.

And poor Kristoff was starting to regret ever letting his brother-in-law out of his sight.

It all came to a head one night, as Anna was preparing Annabelle for bed. She had always been a doting aunt, and a natural mother to her and Kristoff's children. Kristoff only wished that Annabelle's actual mother could be there to lull her to sleep. With that option cut off, there was only one parental avenue available... and though he loved his niece to death, Kristoff would be hanged before it was him.

"This isn't right!" he called after his wife's retreating back. "She needs her father!"

"I _know_ she needs her father!" Anna snapped with unusual vehemence, rounding on her husband sharply. "I've been telling her she needs her father! But she senses that her father bailed on her, and she's hurt and confused and upset! So right now we're all she has!"

Kristoff breathed deeply through his nose. "That's it. I'm going up there, and I'm bringing him back, dead or alive. Preferably the former." His resolve led to a sleepless night in the Princess's private residence that night. Thankfully, the next day was an ice harvesting day anyway, and per ususal, Kristoff rose with the dawn. Kissing a still sleeping Anna goodbye, Kristoff diverted from his schedule when he tiptoed down to his son's room.

"Psst! Christian!" Kristoff shook the boy awake. "Wanna come with me on an ice harvesting jaunt?"

"Now?" Christian blinked through a yawn.

"Yes, now. While the day is still ours. I'll let you sleep until we get to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post."

Christian groaned and flopped his head back into the pillow. "Do we have to see that crook?"

Kristoff could only laugh, recalling the word he had used to describe the giant man to his future bride on their first meeting. "Sadly, yes."

If Christian had been more awake, he would have clued in that someone else of importance was now living up there at the Trading Post. At least, Kristoff hoped he was, as father and son drove a sleigh into the foothills.

* * *

By the time the duo had reached Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, Christian was more anxious to check in the barn next door. Pulling the lean door to, both royal princes gaped at what they saw inside.

Sven was stabled in one corner, lowing at what looked like a makeshift forge. In the center of the heat and metal was Robert, wailing and ramming away at a broadsword with a sledgehammer. His eyes were steely as he seemed to be pounding his grief into this metallic creation.

"Robert!" Kristoff called over the noise. The clanging stopped and Robert blinked upon seeing his nephew and brother-in-law.

"Kristoff? Christian?"

Robert looked a wreck. There were clear, dark circles under his eyes, and the mustache and goatee that Elsa had liked so much (after his return from the Southern Isles) had grown into a full-blown, unkempt beard. Kristoff eyed the small pile of whiskey bottles littering against an un-used anvil, and made a note to give Oaken a piece of his mind upon making the day's trades.

But what was more important now was the man in front of him. The father of Arendelle's heir to the throne. The King Consort... who didn't look so much like a King anymore.

"What are you doing here?" Robert eyed his family warily.

"To come get you!" Christian blurted out, and he actually looked a little scared, taking in his uncle's appearance.

Robert stiffened, frowned, and instead of answering his nephew, rounded on Kristoff. "Did Anna and Joanie put you up to this?"

"Anna didn't exactly stop me," Kristoff reported grimly. "We're going home, Robert. Right after I finish these trades with Oaken. The Cabinet is up in arms, the Captain of the Guard is about ready to send out a search party himself. Kai tried to browbeat out of me where you were last night, and I almost blabbed." He sighed. "Arendelle needs its ruler back."

Robert scoffed. "They didn't need me when I was courting their Queen."

"And they changed their minds once they saw there was no way to change Elsa's heart!" Kristoff pointed out, hoping that the mention of Elsa might stir something in her widowed husband. "They've come to love you, all of them!"

"And what if I no longer want that?" Robert challenged. "Why can't my daughter be Queen? Hell, let Anna be Queen!"

"Anna is no longer next in line. And do you really think Arendelle would let a 2-year-old rule? When there is a more mature ruler waiting in the wings? Robert, you are not some sea captain anymore. You're not a blacksmith. You. Are. THE KING!" Kristoff growled, finally raising his voice.

"For how much longer?" Robert bit back. "One more week out here, and the Cabinet is done with me! They'll either symbolically depose me, or presume me dead! And what do we do then, Kristoff? Huh? You tell me!"

Kristoff pointed a strong finger. "Somewhere inside that stubborn son-of-a-bitch is a King who once put his life on the line to save my daughter from a bunch of kidnappers. And I traveled all this way to rescue that King, because I _believe_ in him."

That finally seemed to rattle Robert. Wide-eyed, he glanced to his nephew, leaning against the stable door. Appearing beyond his twelve years, Christian delivered the emotional kill shot.

"Arendelle needs you, Uncle. And you will _not_ make an orphan of your daughter." A pause, and then, more softly. "Auntie believed in you. So do we."

There was a long silence. Robert looked to his anvil, then back to his family, then chanced a glance at Sven. Finally, he kicked the anvil aside. Shoulders back, he ordered, "Let's go home."

Christian led Robert over the to the sleigh. Kristoff completed his trades with Oaken in record time, hitched up Sven as a second reindeer behind the sleigh, and set off for home.

* * *

It was deep night by the time the royal men got to the palace. Just within the gates, a light shone brightly from the entrance hall and spilled into the courtyard beyond. Backlit in shadow stood two women, one of them holding a baby in her arms.

When Robert stepped into the light, Joan yelled, "Uncle Robert!" Uncle and niece ran to each other, nearly smushing Annabelle between them. Smiling in relief, Joan murmured softly, "I knew you'd come back."

Then it was Anna's turn. Robert didn't even get in a hello when -

WHAM! Something hard connected with the side of his jaw and Robert reeled back.

"Mother!" Joan cried, horrified.

"That's for leaving your family!" Anna snarled. Then she nearly knocked the wind out of him when she hugged him. "That's for coming home."

"Anna!" Kristoff scolded, more about the punch than the hug.

Robert worked out the cricks in his jaw. Anna really did have a strong right hook. "No. I think I deserved that." Turning, he beckoned for Joan, who passed him his daughter with a smile. Robert nuzzled Annabelle close, trying and failing not to tear up when the eyes of Annabelle's mother stared back at him.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," and he wasn't just talking to the baby. He only hoped that wherever she was, Elsa would forgive him.

* * *

"I apologize for leaving without keeping you fully informed," Robert told his Cabinet, seated in the Treaty Room the next morning. "I was overcome with grief and I needed someplace to be that wasn't here." He took a deep breath to compose himself.

"I loved my wife. I love her still. And she loved this country. And because she did, I will do everything in my power, until the time that my daughter turns 21 and is coronated, to be a good King. I don't have royal blood, and only the sanctity of my marriage keeps me here. But I hope I have a good heart, and that the people of Arendelle will accept it."

The Secretary of State wiped a tear from his eye. "Arendelle looks to you, my King. May your reign be long and prosperous."

Robert chuckled. "Spoken like a true politician. I think you will be of most useful counsel, Cassius."

"Long live the King!" The Secretary of the Treasury took up the call.

Robert smiled. "Gentlemen: let's get to work."

* * *

The plain was windswept as Robert knelt before the three towering headstones. The two flanking ones belonged to the former King and Queen, his wife's parents. The one in the center was for his stillborn baby and for... Elsa...

Robert pressed a kiss to the center tombstone. "I'm sorry I never got to say goodbye to you, darling. Annabelle is growing up so quickly. She's starting to talk; Anna's teaching her to say my name. She looks so much like you, and she's so smart, Elsa..." He broke down. "I miss you, honey. I read your letter every day, know it by heart: _'My dear, sweet love...'_" he recited. "If there's... anything you need, I won't be far away. Goodbye, my beloved. And thank you."

And placing a rose, its petals frozen in tribute by Annabelle, Robert stood and walked back towards the carriage which was to return him to Arendelle. He would be there for Elsa if she ever needed him, just as he would be there for Arendelle and he would be there for their daughter. It was the vow of a true King, and he kept that vow. Even after the day that Queen Annabelle of Arendelle ascended to the throne.


End file.
